Worked like a maniac all last weekend to take a few days off this week to get out for the first time this season with my oldest son. I also had some new gear to try out. I picked up an Eskimo 450i five man insulated hub shelter last year at an end of season sale plus for Christmas this past year my kids got me a Clam drill adaptor for the auger and a Jaw Jacker complete with the motorized jigging base.

The new shelter:



The shelter is marketed as a five man item and with just two of us in it there was tons of room. It would still be comfortable with a third and four could fit but would be crowded. No way five adults would work in there. Set up was the easiest of any shelter i have ever tried - it was easier than my two man flip up. The construction seems heavy duty and the insulation although not much seems to make a difference. Take down was also remarkably easy. One person can easily set up and take down as long as the wind is not too bad. All and all i was happy with it.

The clam adaptor:



The adaptor worked as advertised. Well designed and ergonomic - very happy with it. Ice thickness varied from 11 to 13 inches and over the two days i drilled 15 eight inch diameter holes. So say roughly 170 inches of ice. After that amount of drilling the 5 amp-hour battery still showed 70% charge left. With the two batteries i have for the drill that would translate into something like 1400 inches of 8 inch hole before needing to recharge.

Fishing on Tuesday was decent. There was a steady bite on all day. Managed a bunch of 15 to 17 inch walleye plus a bunch of perch. Some typical fish from the day:







Had a real nice fish fry this morning. Now as for the Jigging Jaw Jacker. That thing out-fished both of us. Over 50% of the fish caught were by the Jacker. It takes 3 AA batteries and after two 8 hour days of continuous run it was still running on the original set of standard Energizer Alkalines. Seems like a really good product and an alternative to the typical dead-stick or tip up a lot of guys run for their second line.

Stock image of the Jigging Jaw Jacker (forgot to take one of mine):



Fishing on the Wednesday was totally dead. Tried many things at several locations and the bite just seemed totally shut down. Peace and quiet however was still very nice. Did not see a single soul anywhere on the lake the entire 2 days.

Tranquility:

Temp?

It was 63 here today

Was about 15F. Warmer than normal. Supposed to be some colder weather moving in for the next two weeks.

That right there is awesome man. Bucket list item for me.

I missed the ice fishing in North Dakota when I moved home to Texas, but I did not miss the cold.

Awesome pics.

Looks like fun for a few hours.

Looks like a great time! Congrats and thanks for posting!

Cool pics as usual

Man thats a good looking tent! The clam adapter on the drill what does that do, is it to stabilize while drilling or? Also did you cook the fish inside the tent?
Looks like good time on the lake with your son

Or about 15 minutes....the older I get the less I like cold weather....and I didn’t care much for it when I was younger

Looks like a good time and great pictures as always. However, I had to put another layer of clothes on when I looked at them. Brrrrrrrrr

Looks both fun and cold

Wonderful pics man! I got to ice fish some monster walleye on the Bay of Quinte near Belleville, ON. We had a couple over 10 pounds that day. Had to wallow out the hole to get the fish through. Pretty cool trip! My wife is from around London (celebrated 1 year as an American citizen yesterday). We haven't been up there since early January 2020...sure can't wait for the border to open back up.

WTH is the matter with you Hirogen. Fishing is supposed to only take place when it is +60 degress F.!!
That's hunting weather....but only if you have an insulated deer stand with a heater in it! lmao

Sorry, there is no way in hell you'd catch my big ol arsh out there in that cold stuff. I don't know how you folks do it!

Though I'm sure that fresh fish fried up was delicious!

Great pictures man and thanks for sharing them.

Adaptor moves the trigger off the drill to the handle on the plate and allows hands to be at 180 degrees applying even pressure. Makes the holes straighter and prevents binding. Also stops any chance of the auger coming out of the Chuck and falling down the hole

Right on man

Looks fun.
And Cold....

How can you tell the difference between a Canadian and a Texan? The Canadian is wearing short sleeves when it is 15 degrees outside.

I always look forward to seeing your pictures.

That looks amazing, never I’ve fished and I’m sure I’d of frozen my rear off but awesome! Thanks for sharing.

Looks like good times for sure. Makes me miss my ice fishing trips. Gonna have to plan one again before I forget how it's done. I suspect I'm the only guy in Argyle Texas with an ice auger in his garage.

Looks like fun. I'm heading up to Lake Minnetonka, MN in 2 weeks to do some ice fishing. Ive never done this before, looking forward to it.

Nice!

The older I get the warmer I need it to be. I'd last about 5 minutes out there. But good for you and especially that you were sharing this time
with your son.

Thanks for the pics. That jaw jacker looks interesting. So it is an evolutionary improvement on the tip up I guess?

Also like the auger. Seems more economical than a battery powered auger.

Those perch are huge and some great eating!!